“They won, you watched.”

When studying Exercise Science, I quickly began to see the behind the scenes of professional sports. It’s a business, an entire division of the entertainment industry that then fuels the industry of gambling. There is a lot science, there is some art, but there’s a whole lot of bullshit thrown in there too.

One thing I found interesting in my time recording games for the coaching staff was the fact that people in the crowds lived vicariously through their teams, experiencing the dread and heartache of the loss and the absolute excitement from a win. These emotions carried out throughout every moment of the game - it had me thinking that people probably felt stronger emotions in these games than they did in their own personal lives. They wore the shirts of athletes that weren’t necessarily anyone special - they just had a great skill set and athletic ability that was, mostly, based on their genetics.

A throw away line from Seinfeld (The title of this post), had me thinking about just how many of us are living our lives vicariously through things like sport, YouTube channels, social media pages etc. If the happy moments of your life are generally happening when watching others, I would suggest taking a step back and thinking about where you can put yourself back in the driver’s seat of your life. Life is to be lived, not to be watched.

Some people enjoy watching games, others enjoy playing them - I know which side of the fence I would rather be on.

Oh and the next time you are celebrating a teams win, just remember, ‘They won, you watched.’